Press Release

Police Make Swift Apprehension in Daylight Robbery

Police on St. Croix quickly wrapped up a daylight robbery arresting four suspects, recovering the jewelry and confiscating two weapons. Once the call was dispatched to police, officers from various units converged on the scene and then tracked the suspects to where they were apprehended about five miles away. The community gave the police the key information they needed for the apprehension.

The call of the Robbery First Degree was dispatched just before noon on July 31. When police arrived at the scene witnesses told them that two masked men, one tall and one short, dressed in black and wearing gloves entered the Tropical Bracelet store on Strand Street in Christiansted. One suspect was armed. The suspects asked for the key to the jewelry case, opened it, removed jewelry and fled the store. Witnesses told police that the suspects got into a maroon pickup truck that had two other persons in the back of the trunk. Witnesses also told police the license plate number of the truck. An All Points Bulletin was issued to law enforcement was immediately issued on the vehicle.

Officers began searching for the vehicle and soon spotted it in Estate La Grande Princess. As an officer followed the suspects’ vehicle the information was dispatched to all police. Soon several patrol and detective units were converging toward the suspects’ car. At the bottom of Morning Star Hill about five miles away from the robbery location, police blocked the road, forcing the vehicle to veer off into a side road where officers apprehended the suspects. Police confiscated two fire arms, jewelry concealed in a black bag, several ski masks, gloves and ammunition. Two of the suspects were 17-year-old male minors and they were remanded to the Youth Rehabilitation Center pending their court appearance.  At the time of this press release, Tuesday night, the two male suspects were detained and being interviewed by detectives who said the pair will be formally arrested once the interview process is completed.

St Croix deputy Police Chief James Parris commended the officers for the swift apprehension of the suspects and the confiscation of evidence, especially the firearms. He said these arrests are the combined and cooperative work of patrol, the Criminal Investigation Bureau and several other units and divisions inside the VIPD. He said “This is the teamwork that we train to achieve and in this instance it was executed flawlessly.” Deputy Chief Parris also commended the citizens who gave police the description and license plate number of the getaway vehicle. He said “The witnesses kept their cool and gave police key information in these types of cases; which is the description of the vehicle and the full license plate number.” The Deputy Chief went on to say, “With police and community working hand in hand crimes can be solved in record time. He said “We cannot do what we do without the community’s help.”